This invention relates to a novel flag-tag device and to an improved flag coupling and an improved belt buckle embodiment for such a device
Games utilizing "chase-catch" instincts are as old as civilization. One of the most elaborate and complicated is the game of football as played mainly in the United States of America. Rules in the game provide fair and equal opportunities to win, and along with the demands of strategy and physical skills, combine to make football a favorite sport in the United States. Unfortunately, this great game has been mostly a "spectator" sport.
The reason for this is that playing of tackle football requires heavy body contact as well as extensive falling and rolling contact with the ground. Thus, the tackle version of the game of football requires much physical conditioning and expensive safety equipment. These are factors which make mass participation in the tackle version of the game impossible.
An alternative version has been played which requires stopping of the ball carrier by a two handed "tag" or "touch", and this, in combination with modified blocking rules has allowed less restricted participation in the game. However, this game becomes less exciting because the ease with which the "touch" or "tag" is made prevents the ball carrier from going forward into or through a group of opponents.
Still another alternative involves stopping the ball player by removing a tail, streamer or flag from the body. However, these flags, in order to make the game exciting, must detach only after use of the same approach as in making a good tackle in the "tackle" version of the game.
The ideal is to provide a set of flag devices which spin, spiral and flutter so as to be elusive, and which ideally requires a pull-away tension of 15-20 lbs. The flags should require an "along-side" approach with a center flap grasp and clean jerk-away to accomplish deflagging. If these standards are required, this will make the game exciting and will make it available for safe mass participation of people of both sexes and all ages. As noted before, such devices are generally illustrated by the above-identified patents of the same inventor.
In prior art flag type games, a flag has typically been attached to the belt or other waist-encircling arrangement of a wearer by releasable coupling parts in a manner such that the flag is pulled away from its attachments to the belt by a predetermined pull-away tension to the belt. This serves to detach the flag coupling part from the cooperative belt coupling part. Normally, these coupling parts have been designed as cooperating ball and socket devices, as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,966,356; 3,251,109; 3,345,070; and 3,579,745, each of which is incorporated herein by reference.
In a more recent improvement in this type of device as evidenced by the device of U.S. Pat. No. 4,304,403, a ball member is provided with an open-ended through slot to provide resiliency to the cheeks of the ball to permit manual attachment and detachment thereof relative to the socket member. An attachment member is positioned by an angled portion extending outwardly of the belt of a player to secure the end of a game flag or similar game piece thereto.
One belt design which attempts to correct this problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,355,744 and describes a belt and engaging member onto which the excess belt amount can be looped to prevent the belt end from flopping during the games. However, it is often the case that the user will forget to engage the belt in said element, thereby defeating the purpose of this provision.
U.S. Pat. 4,651,989 includes improvements to the buckle members and to the coupling for the flags to provide and enhance the popping sound when the flag is detached.